Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences

at Brunel University London United Kingdom

Mechanical engineering covers the design, development and manufacture of mechanical objects – from large-scale industrial machinery to trains, planes and automobiles to medical devices, mobile phones, bicycles, even chairs.

In fact, every product, technology or system has probably been touched by a mechanical engineer.   

The Brunel Mechanical Engineering BEng will give you the specialist knowledge and skills needed to get started on a lucrative career in this diverse and challenging profession.

You’ll get a solid grounding in the core principles of engineering science including solid body mechanics, thermodynamics and materials science as well as in the fundamentals of design and manufacturing.

You’ll also get training in related disciplines integral to mechanical engineering such as computing – used in modelling and predicting outcomes; electrical engineering – to gage how much energy is needed to run a machine and how it can be generated and controlled; and electronics - because parts in many machines are electronic as well as mechanical.

And, as mechanical engineers not only design many exciting products but venture into managing projects and companies, you’ll study elements of management, ethics, finance and law.

Throughout your studies you’ll have use of our modern, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and 24-hour access to industry standard engineering design software at dedicated computer clusters on campus, so you’ll have the opportunity and equipment to explore ideas and tackle problems.

Our mechanical engineering BEng course is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).We offer two study options. You can choose three years full-time or four years full-time with a one-year work placement between years two and three that will give you the chance to apply what you’ve learned to real-life situations.

If you start on the full-time course, you can transfer to the professional development option at any time before the end of Level 2.

In a global economy where progress depends heavily on technological innovation, graduates with the knowledge and skills to design, develop and improve the machines and processes fuelling growth are in demand. Your Brunel BEng will give you that expertise and help open doors to a career in engineering.

International business is an exciting and rapidly evolving space as politics and economics shift, and societies and cultures evolve. On the course you will gain a comprehensive understanding of the processes of globalisation in the 21st century and the implications that these ongoing processes have for today’s business women and men – and indeed, for tomorrow’s leaders.

The International Business MSc is designed for those seeking to operate within an international business setting or within companies and jobs where an understanding of international business is an asset. The course will help you to develop a sound understanding of international business contexts and to make integrative links across various disciplines.

We will explore the impact of internationalisation on factors such as the management of resources and operations, the financing of business enterprise, and the management and development of people. Aspects of the course will focus on emerging markets. It will also focus on the development of appropriate business policies and strategies to help you put your learning into practice.

You will receive training in research methods with particular application to the empirical study of international management situations, issues and process.

What you learn on the International Business MSc will enable you to further develop transferable skills that can be used to address the challenges of working within an organisation or for yourself as part of the global economy.

Our Computer Systems Engineering BEng degree is a modern course that has been developed to equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to design and build hardware and software for computer systems.

You will be introduced to computing and engineering and gain knowledge on computer hardware and software. You’ll learn about programming and computer architecture and then progress to advanced computing technologies. In your final year, you can choose specialist subjects like embedded systems, intelligent systems and the internet of things.

Access is available to modern technical facilities including computer, electronics, and power and control laboratories where you’ll work on your experiments. The latest industry standard engineering software packages are available for you to use in dedicated computer clusters.

Our BEng computer systems engineering course is accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). This professional engineering institution ensures that your engineering degree meets the academic requirement to qualify as a professional engineer. This accredited BEng degree in computer systems engineering can be studied full-time over three years, or four years with a placement year. The BEng degree meets the educational requirement to become an Incorporated Engineer (IEng).

We encourage the placement year option. This time in industry helps you to further prepare for the world of work and you’ll have a year’s worth of invaluable professional experience when you graduate. If you decide to go on an engineering placement year, you will have the opportunity to work in an engineering or technology company.

Brunel’s Wireless and Computer Communication Networks MSc will deepen your theoretical understanding of wireless and computer communication systems, as well as equip you with the ability to analyse complex problems associated with such systems.

You will study and work to solve complex industrial problems in wireless and computer communications. This specialist course has a particular emphasis on traditional, new and emerging technologies and subjects, including communication network technologies, communication network security, intelligent systems, internet of things, radio and optical communication systems, business and enterprise and engineering ethics and sustainability.

Access is available to modern technical facilities including computers, electronics, and power and control laboratories where you’ll work on your lab exercises. The latest industry-standard engineering software packages are available for you to use in purpose-built computer laboratories.

During your studies, you will benefit from guest lectures delivered by industry professionals. You’ll participate in conferences and deliver poster presentations on your research work. This allows you to network and exchange ideas with experts in wireless and computer communication networks.

Our MSc wireless and computer communication networks degree is seeking accreditation from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). This professional engineering institution ensures that your degree meets the academic requirement to qualify as a professional engineer.

Accounting best practice is key to the success and longevity of a business. Accounting data contributes to valuable analysis with which to chart the progress of a business and support pivotal decision-making. This can be particularly useful when projecting future profitability and at what rate it is sustainable based on the current resources available.

The Business and Management (Accounting) BSc course offers hands-on experience using Sage Accounting software, which is widely used in the industry. You will also learn valuable technical skills along the way including numerical methods and how to use statistical software packages such as SPSS and EXCEL. This part of the course does not require A level maths or the overseas equivalent.

The accounting pathway gives students a broad overview of management issues with specialist knowledge of the applications of accountancy to the world of commerce. You will gain the combination of analytical, technical and interpersonal skills required to understand, analyse and address the issues that today’s companies face.

Our Management Enquiry module was created specifically to help you adapt to university study with learning sessions on working in groups, report writing, and time management.

This degree course is accredited by all the professional accountancy bodies in the UK (ACCA, CIMA, ICAEW, CIPFA and AIA), and allows you to gain exemptions from some of their professional papers if you wish to further your study with them after you graduate. These accreditations attests to the relevance and rigour of our curriculum. We have particularly good exemptions from ACCA; we hold all nine possible exemptions.  So when you graduate you will be part qualified and will just need to sit final exams and gain some professional experience to qualify as an accountant.  Find out more about all our accreditations and exemptions on our accreditations and exemptions page.

Once you graduate, provided you have passed certain modules, you will be exempt from some of the entry level examinations of these professional accountancy bodies. This is because this degree course already covers some of the content of the examinations you must pass to gain the professional qualifications. The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants has also told us that Brunel graduates have a higher than average pass rate in both the accounting and management streams of their examinations.

There is the option to take a year’s work placement between your second and third year. Previous employers have included Adidas, Microsoft, British Airways, PwC and Nissan. Find out more on our work placement year page.

Brunel University London’s impact on the future wages of its graduates is among the best in the country compared to other universities, according to analysis of government data by The Economist (2017).

All our business degrees include the option of a work placement year between your second and third year.

• In addition to providing the opportunity to put what you’ve learnt in your degree into practice, and to earn some much appreciated money, our students find their work placement experience significantly enhances their career prospects when they come to graduate. In fact many students are offered employment with their work placement company upon graduation. You'll be working in the same capacity as you would when you graduate so it will give you a taste of what's to come, hopefully, including all the challenges and rewards.
• Placements are available at different sized organisations across the public and private sector, so you can choose the type of experience most suited to you. You’ll need to apply for these positions in much the same way as you would a job, so it’ll be useful experience in that respect too.
• The good news is that through our Business Life programme and the University’s Professional Development Centre, you should be well prepared to make the best applications you can.
• Placements tend to last 44 weeks. During your placement, an academic member of staff from Brunel Business School will keep in touch, and your employer will be invited to attend a tutorial day at Brunel with you.

The world relies on computers and so do most businesses and organisations. Mathematics is the language of computer science so if you have the skills for both you’ll find a whole range of careers available to you in most sectors.

On this single honours course you’ll develop your mathematical and statistical knowledge and apply these skills to solve problems in computing, business and other areas.

Approximately two-thirds of the course is devoted to mathematical and statistical areas. The mathematics subjects on this course focus particularly on aspects of modern algebra that relate to computer science and also include a considerable amount of numerical analysis of mathematical problems. You have the opportunity to specialise in Level 3 so as an example, you may choose modern encryption methods as used in internet transactions.

Follow the four-year Professional Placement degree programme and you‘ll benefit from our extensive experience in helping students to find well-paid work placements with blue-chip companies. Our sandwich students find that their mathematical, computer science and transferable skills are in demand in many sectors, both in the UK and abroad.

Areas recently offering placements include: accountancy, aviation, banking, defence, finance, insurance, IT (software development, network management and design), management (public and private sector), marketing and telecommunications.

This programme will meet the educational requirements of the Chartered Mathematician designation, awarded by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, when it is followed by subsequent training and experience in employment to obtain equivalent competences to those specified by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for taught master's degrees.

Take your knowledge of culture and society to the next level and equip yourself with a big range of practical and analytical skills for a changing world with our Anthropology and Sociology BSc.

Anthropology is concerned with contemporary issues such as multiculturalism, identity politics, racism and ethnic nationalism, changing forms of the family, religious conflict, gender, and the political role of culture. It also addresses fundamental questions about human nature, such as: ‘What do we have in common with each other cross-culturally?’ and ‘What makes us different?’

Sociology, its sister subject, looks at the foundations of social life and the big issues in contemporary society such as inequality, racism, globalisation, and migration.

In particular, your sociology studies at Brunel will be closely related to the central and ever-increasing importance of the communications media in our culture, for example, how poverty is portrayed and the powerful influence of celebrity.

Brunel is a great choice for this combined study with lecturers from both subjects producing cutting edge research alongside their teaching, on both global issues and local problems.

This research expertise filters down into what you will learn. In anthropology students have learnt about youth and motorcycles in Rwanda, and in sociology, about cosmetic tourism.

Choose this course and you can do fieldwork on any subject, anywhere in the world, whether it’s learning about refugees in Athens or mother and toddler groups in inner London.

Around half of Brunel anthropology students carry out a placement or fieldwork abroad, in places as wide ranging as India, Nepal, Australia, South Africa, Papua New Guinea and Jamaica.

Recent UK placement destinations include the Royal Anthropological Institute, Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, Amnesty International and the Department of Health.

Alternatively, could choose a placement that’s more sociologically focussed. Either way, you can choose to take it as two six month placements or one year-long placement.

Take advantage of real-life work experience to gain a competitive advantage on your anthropology degree.

• You have the option to undertake two six-month placements, or a year-long placement whilst studying one of our anthropology degrees.
• If you opt to go on two six-month work placements, then you can use the first one to help determine an area of interest to you in the future. You have the freedom of choice when looking for placements and can be based locally for one and go abroad for the second one.
• You’ll have support from day one of your anthropology course from your personal tutors and the Professional Development Centre in finding a suitable work placement according to your interests. They can range from working in a church, in a museum to supporting charities on-sites and studying a local community within a village.
• This invaluable experience will not only build your confidence but also provide you with a platform to showcase your project management, organisational and creative skills in the workplace.
• Some of our students have completed their placements in Guatemala, London, Malaysia and Morocco which really gives a global perspective.
• Fieldwork can also be conducted as volunteering to give you a real insight into cultures and communities. For example, one of our students did charity work in Cambodia and enjoyed experiencing different cultures and working with a range of people from different backgrounds.

International relations is an area of politics that largely focuses on how two or more nations interact with each other. As an introduction to the course you will study the evolution of international relations theory – for example how international relations relates to problems of anarchy, sovereignty, order, justice and solutions.  

Early on in the course, you will have a choice between two topics: International Security which will look at the main concepts and models within the subject as well as its issues and policies, or International Political Economy which considers topics like globalisation, financial liberation and economic growth.

Once your knowledge, understanding and analytical skills have grown in international relations, you will choose a further two additional optional modules which cover democracy, migrant law, post-war world affairs, security in the middle east, and geopolitics. Finally, a research project of your choice under the guidance of a dissertation supervisor completes the course.

In keeping with the importance Brunel places on getting you ready for work, this degree includes the rare option of a work placement – 6-12 weeks of professional practice that takes place between May and September in an organisation with an international dimension to its mission.

Other opportunities to network and build knowledge include the option to take up membership with Chatham House, the leading British think tank on international affairs. Benefits include access to library and archive materials as well as regular events.

In fact, Brunel’s proximity to central London’s world-class research facilities, Westminster and Whitehall means you couldn’t be better placed to immerse yourself in an established political area.

Graduates of the International Relations MA, go to pursue careers in a wide range of organisations, including government, international institutions, non-governmental organisations, business, research institutes and security, or further study at doctoral level.

This course has a professional practice option. Find out more about work placements available.

As the amount of digital information increases, major institutions in sectors such as finance and medicine rely on robust structures that can grow and adapt. By specialising in software engineering, you’ll focus on how to build high quality systems which will be easier to maintain and develop as the requirements of the system change and available technologies evolve. The techniques involved include testing, service-oriented architectures, and refactoring.

On the Computer Science (Software Engineering) BSc degree course, you’ll also learn how to build different types of software, from web-based systems to mobile solutions. In the final year you’ll take compulsory modules in advanced computer science and choose optional modules that interest you in a variety of compelling areas.

In addition, you’ll acquire in-depth knowledge of algorithms, design, programming and testing techniques. By the end of the course, you’ll have confidence in your knowledge of common system and network architectures and system development approaches, requirements capture, design methods, models, tools, and techniques.

You’ll become well-versed in implementing and testing systems and software maintenance. Key to this course is cultivating a reflective approach to project management issues arising from team-based software development.

This specialist degree course allows you to display an in-depth knowledge of the management, organisation and execution of large-scale software design and development activities including reuse and integration. All our degrees emphasise acquiring knowledge and skills to develop your new understanding creatively and professionally. Although this is an academic degree, the course balances theory with real-world practice in information and computer management.

Our course is designed for flexibility, so if you’re not sure which route you want to go, you can select modules and specialise gradually during your time with us. You can transfer between Computer Science and Business Computing up to the start of Level 2, then, should you wish, to choose a specialism up to the start of Level 3.

We know that when you graduate, you’ll be working on large projects. That’s why one third of each year of our programmes is project-based. On Levels 1 and 2, you’ll build a software solution in a team, and in your final year you’ll carry out an individual project. You’ll also have the opportunity to showcase your projects at the annual  Made in Brunel (Software Innovation) event, with awards presented by the likes of Cisco, Sky and Xerox.

As part of your degree course, you’ll have the chance to take a year-long work placement between your second year and third year. We’ll support you in finding that all-important paid professional experience, in the UK or abroad. The feedback we’ve received is that those who have taken a placement are much more likely to find a job for which their degree was a formal requirement as it gives you a competitive advantage. Recent graduates have gone on to work for well-known names such as Accenture, Toshiba, Microsoft, British Airways, O2, and Barclays.

Our programmes are accredited by the British Computer Society, the Chartered Institute for IT, for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered IT Professional (CITP), and on behalf of the Engineering Council, for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and partially meeting the academic requirement for a Chartered Engineer (CEng). 

The accreditation also allows you to apply for professional membership of the BCS after you have successfully completed your degree.

The department has been awarded an Athena SWAN Bronze, recognising our dedication to the advancement of gender equality in STEM subjects. We now have an ongoing three-year action plan to further implement strategies and improve our practices. As part of this endeavour, Brunel’s  Women in Engineering and Computing mentoring scheme provides our female students with invaluable help and support from the industry.

Our Electronic and Electrical Engineering BEng degree is a modern course that has been developed to equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to design electronic and electrical systems for the next generation. 

The first year is common to all our engineering students. You will share modules and this gives you the opportunity to learn more about different branches of engineering science. You'll also gain a better understanding of the connections between various engineering fields, its multi interdisciplinary nature and how you can choose your future employment.

You will be introduced to electronic engineering and gain deep knowledge of electronics and electrical systems. You’ll learn about electronic systems, and electrical engineering and sustainability, and then progress to advanced electronics. In your final year, you can choose specialist subjects like control systems, embedded systems and intelligent systems.

Access is available to modern technical facilities including computer, electronics, and power and control laboratories where you’ll work on your experiments. The latest industry standard engineering software packages are available for you to use in dedicated computer clusters.

Brunel's BEng electronic and electrical engineering course is accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). This professional engineering institution ensures that your engineering degree meets the academic requirement to qualify as a professional engineer. This accredited BEng degree in electronic and electrical engineering can be studied full-time over three years, or four years with a placement year. The BEng degree meets the educational requirement to become an Incorporated Engineer (IEng). You may wish to transfer to the MEng route of study at the end of your second year, subject to meeting the progression requirement. The MEng degree fully meets the educational requirement to become a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and involves a further year of academic study.

We encourage the placement year option. This time in industry helps you to further prepare for the world of work and you’ll have a year’s worth of invaluable professional experience when you graduate. If you decide to go on an engineering placement year, you will have the opportunity to work in an engineering or technology company.

The BEng course in electronic and electrical engineering also offers pathways where you can specialise in either artificial intelligence, communication systems, computer systems, or energy systems.